


In which a king fights.

by shaardom



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: I really don't know how to put it in other words so, M/M, eventual spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 10:03:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7356808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaardom/pseuds/shaardom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ronan agrees to teach Gansey few handy tricks in case he gets in a bad situation. He did not expect to learn anything from that and yet...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In which a king fights.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there ! This was written in response to a prompt posted by otpprompts.tumblr.com, it's my first TRC-related (posted) work. Moving along, as they're only pretending to fight, I chose not to add any warnings. That's pretty much all there is so... Enjoy.

"If this was a real fight, you would be witnessing a sped-up tape recording of your life already."

The usual sharpness in Ronan's voice was enhanced by dismay. He was still far from accepting Gansey's will to learn only what he thought of as necessary. The boy under him squirmed, either feeling uncomfortable because of the knee on his chest or threatened by Ronan's balled up fist, still aimed at his nose. Ronan understood. He lowered his fist then stood up, allowing Gansey to move freely.

"That said, you keep going easy on me," Gansey noticed.

"Otherwise you'd be fucking dead by now."

Ronan slowly threw his clenched fist towards his friend's jaw. He was not even tired. All he had to do was half-heartedly try to hit Gansey. That was enough to make him struggle. The said person easily dodged. Hopefully. Gansey avoided the next one too. Then Ronan swept his front feet, which threw Gansey off balance. He knew this move will be successful since Gansey barely focused on the great picture. Reaching for his face was impossible for now, but there were plenty of unguarded parts. He already told him about. 

He caught Gansey before he reach the ground. Ronan's arm was secured around his hips and they looked more like experimenting with some latino dance than fighting. Once again, he had been defeated too easily. Ronan managed to hold him in that position where he needed support not to lose balance. He did not look disappointed yet. It was hard to tell though, even for Gansey.

"You're beauty, you're grace— we get it. Now try a bit harder and _for fuck's sake, punch me in the face_."

Gansey nodded and Ronan finally allowed himself to be pushed away. The feeling of his careful embrace remained.

"Let's try again."

"It would be easier if you really thought of hitting me, I swear."

"What do you mean ?"

"You're also going easy on me. But unlike you, I can handle more."

Gansey took a small moment to think things through. He was motivated, but his mind could not process the idea of willingly harming Ronan.

"I can't."

Ronan rolled his eyes.

"Don't mess with me, of course you can." He genuinely could not believe that there was someone in the universe who knew him and dis not want to harm him. "And put that damn thumb out of your fist."

Of course, Ronan was right. Everyone he knew thought of hitting him at least once. He always forgets to look on the bright side and also notice that they dealt with him in spite of their recurrent, strong urge to smack some sense into him. Gansey easily found good reasons to hit him. But he did not move. Ronan decided to make things easier for him, and throw the first punch. It was a good one. 

Gansey's cheekbone nearly got hit. He reminded himself to focus on the big picture. Even with that, Ronan was hard to catch off guard. Gansey kept defending himself while searching for a chink in his armor. That's all he needed. He wanted to dry his sweaty hands on his jean, but that will sign Ronan up for an easy win.

"Noah can do better, and he's dead !"

Gansey took a second to think about how Ronan still talked about Noah at the present. He was not over him yet, was he ? Unfortunately, he forgot that many things could happen in a second during a fight. The world shattered in a mess of feelings. He saw stars, heard Ronan cursing and felt his cheekbone aching. None of these made sense as a whole.

"Holy shit, Gansey !"

Ronan was not pretending to punch him. He just made sure he will not actually get hit. This choreography did not left room for delayed moves. He slowly reached out for his own face. No blood, but he could definitely not feel this part of his face anymore.

"It's okay, I'm—"

"Not focused," Ronan snapped. "This is serious business, I thought you have figured out."

Gansey sighed and got in position ro start another round. Their talk about Noah was only postponed. He lasted longer this time. Offensive strategies were his problem. He just wasn't able to plan a proper attack and put it in action. Ronan attempted to throw him on the ground. He gripped his shoulders and they both rolled in the dust. At this point, he knew he lost. Ronan was stronger.

He stopped struggling as Ronan pinned his wrists above his head. Oddly enough, that surprised him. He did not expect Gansey to stop fighting now. Gansey felt his balance wavering and he immediately took advantage of it to push him away. However, he stood up too slowly. Ronan had enough time to get back at him and lock his arms behind his back once and for all.

"You almost got me."

Ronan was obviously proud of his achievement. Before that, he was close to giving up. Gansey winced as he was forced on his knees. The 'almost' made the difference. They had a quiet agreement stating that the winner of each round was briefly allowed to take advantage of his status. Gansey hasn't won since they started, which was expected.

"If you encounter a fight — which is still very unlikely to happen —, running is still your best option. Just saying."

He could practically hear Ronan grinning.

"As long as you're not my opponent, I guess—"

He hissed as the pain in his arms got nearly unbearable. As long as his opponent was someone else, it should be just fine. Whatever Ronan did, he hoped that no broken bones were involved. He did not even dare to try to move.

"Release me," he muttered through his gritted teeth. "Please."

Ronan kept holding him with one hand. With the other, he firmly grasped a handful of hair and pulled backwards. Gansey was then forced to look at the ceiling. He was thankful about his short breath, which prevented his voice to be heard. 

"If we were two against you, then someone would be repeatedly punching your face. Think about it."

He made his point. Gansey thought they were certainly less painful ways to do so. Ronan's grip on his hair and wrists disappeared. His numb arms didn't felt the ground as he landed on them. That was definitely a bad sign. He took a deep breath before sitting down properly. This was as close to beating him up as Ronan was willing to get. He knew for a fact that Ronan was still gentle, regarding what he was able to. A simple proof was that not a single drop of blood had left his system yet. Yet the pain had been so intense that he kept feeling it, even after being released. This seem to be a Ronan thing : you keep feeling him even if he left.

"Are you alright ?" Ronan worriedly asked.

"I'm not a crystal vase, Ronan."

"You're Richard Dick Gansey lll, I see no difference."

Gansey laughed, rubbing his arms to restore the blood flow. He didn't feel like moving.

"I'm fine."

"Stand up, then."

Gansey extended his arm. Ronan rolled his eyes then took his hand to pull him on his feet.

"We can stop there," he suggested.

"One last round ?"

Ronan noticed the imperative question mark. Blue definitely rubbed off on him. If his memories were good, that was something she had been used to hearing back home. He thought that was stupid. If you're going to order someone around, just go for it. That said, he did not mind. He checked on Gansey, from head to toes. His cold, intense stare sent thrills down Gansey's spine.

"It won't do any good," he finally said.

There were not many bruises yet, but another round will definitely make them blossom a bit everywhere.

"Please."

Gansey clenched his fists. Ronan gave up despite feeling concerned for his friend's well-being. In fact, Gansey was covered with dust, his hair were disheveled since Ronan messed with them and his breath was still short. Ronan knew he should feel sorry about the awfully expensive clothes Gansey wore, but their gaudy colors did not helped him at holding onto his guilt. They circled each other for a moment, searching for the right angle to attack. Ronan wanted to end this as fast as possible. He knew this was unfair, as it could be a matter of seconds if he decided so.

"I really won't go easy on you this time," he warned.

It didn't made it fairer, but at least, he warned. He threw the first punch towards Gansey's nose, then another one straight towards his solar plexus. It took Gansey's breath away. He knew the right way to get his opponent to greet the ground. From this point, there was not much left to do. Gansey bent over, coughing as he failed to inhale. He took upon himself and rose again, hitting Ronan's jaw for the first time. He received a kick in the right shin as a response.

Since most of his body was numb, the pain surprised him. He shifted on his left foot to place most of his body weight on it, which ended up being a terrible idea. It completely messed with his balance. He fell on his knees again to avoid Ronan's fist. Before Ronan could throw another blow, he raised his hands, surrendering. His lungs were on fire. He had teary eyes due to the pain and the lack of breath.

"I give up. You won—"

His voice was raspy. He was cut as Ronan forcefully pulled him on his feet, tightly holding on his hair. A muffled moan escaped his lips, almost hidden by his failed attempts at breathing properly. Once again, the 'almost' made the difference.

"That will definitely be embarrassing in a real fight."

Gansey wondered if that was the reason why Ronan did not allow his hair to grow. He struggled weakly to escape from his friend's grip. Ronan pretended to slash his throat before letting go of him.

"Does Blue do this often ?"

Gansey wiped his tears, briefly allowing frustration to take over. The strain on his chest took some time to disappear.

"Do what ?"

"Pull on your hair."

Ronan's grin was definitely something that he heard more often than saw. The teasing was a welcomed distraction after his poor performance.

"I'm not answering this."

"She actually does." Ronan sounded amazed by his discovery. Even if Gansey did not spoke, his reddening cheeks gave away the answer. The frustration remained, although he did his best to suppress it. Ronan snorted. "That's quite interesting."

Gansey scratched Ronan's back on a sudden impulse. Not deep enough to make him bleed but just what it takes to cause the same embarrassing response. His skin was soft, in spite of the ink spilled in complicated patterns all over his back. He was not even sweaty. Gansey felt wickedly proud of himself as Ronan shivered after he had grazed his back once more. He had to stop himself from doing it again and again. To think he struggled to overpower Ronan for the last hour while the solution was so easy.

" _Quite interesting,_ " he mused. "I assume that's what Adam does, isn't it ?"

Ronan cursed him loudly, punching his arm. He threw his head backwards, giving in hilarity. Laughing made him realize how bad the session had been. He did not had a single limb which did not ache. Not to mention his dry throat and still burning lungs. He felt as if he was breathing fire. His cheeks felt very hot, too. At least, he was able to get back at Ronan. The latter caught his hand before he gave in the urge to stroke his back for what he vowed to be the last time.

"We're done for today. And for fuck's sake, stop putting your thumb inside your fist."

Gansey shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering if Ronan only referred to the teaching part. Which was indeed a stupid thing to wonder about. Ronan had Adam, and he had Blue. His thoughts ran wild, getting a life on their own as they exited the room. Ronan did not seem to be bothered. After all, he knew what he meant. It probably wasn't more than an embarassing moment to share with the others in few months, during a lame party or a casual evening. Yes, Gansey thought, that's all there is to it.

"Do not forget everything yet," Ronan told him. "We still have to get past Sargent."

"I take care of the defense and you attack ?"

Ronan hummed in response. They bumped knuckles, the enjoyable awkwardness of the previous moments already far behind. The both walked ahead another type of fight 

Even if this was his idea, Jane will kill them both.

**Author's Note:**

> Link to the actual prompt : http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/146332735901/imagine-your-otp-being-enemies-and-getting-into-a
> 
> (Gansey and Ronan are not my OTP but I enjoy the dynamic between them !)


End file.
